“Are we going to talk about this?” Leon asks, humor in his tone.
“Nope,” Naomi says back, leaning her head against his shoulder. “We could talk about this weekend instead.”
Understanding washes over me as I take in how she smiles prettily up at him. Leon’s always been smitten with her, but something’s different. There’s a smugness about him that didn’t exist before.
“Are you two…” I trail off, unable to find the words.
“If we were, would that be a problem?” she asks, her brow lifting in the sassy manner she’s perfected.
Canyon is quiet beside me, which makes my nerves go haywire. Does he miss her? Is he jealous? I cast a quick glance at him, expecting to find him radiating with anger or jealousy, but instead, he’s smirking. That look on his face settles something deep inside me.
“Not a problem with me,” I assure her and turn my attention back to Leon. “Any problems with us?”
I don’t have to spell it out because Leon knows. His eyes dart back and forth. He makes a motion of zipping his lips. “Nope. I do wonder what your dad will think…”
I flinch at the reminder, but Canyon’s soothing touch on my thigh calms me.
“It doesn’t matter what our dads think,” Canyon says in a soft whisper. “And they’re not going to find out anyway.”
“Eventually, they’ll have to,” Leon warns. “It’s clear as day to anyone who looks at you two.”
Movement across the lunchroom catches my eye. Gage pretends to blow an imaginary dick, insinuating what I do with Canyon.
Canyon squeezes my leg with his reassuring grip. “Let’s just hope they’re not looking too hard.”
I didn’t realize we were that obvious, but maybe we really are. We’ll have to tone it down when around people so this whole thing doesn’t blow up in our faces.
“And when they finally see it?” Leon challenges, not letting the subject go.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” I mumble out.
I just hope we never have to.
Canyon
Three Months Later…
Watching Dad press a kiss to Quinn’s lips over dinner at the resort should have me feeling annoyed or angry. But, having spent so much time with them now that Carrie and I live at Quinn’s with Dad, I’m used to their disgustingly sweet public displays of affection. Now that they’re officially married as of two days ago, they’ve added on a whole new layer of giddy love. If Mom wasn’t doing so well, I’d probably be able to focus my animosity on Dad. As it stands, though, I’m happy.
I owe every ounce of my happiness to Alis. As if he can sense that he’s on my mind, his hand sneaks over to mine beneath the table, giving it a squeeze. After a full day on the slopes, we’re all exhausted and ready for a relaxing night in. I’m eager to pull Alis into his bed, strip him down, and fuck him like there’s no tomorrow. The image of him naked and shivering beneath me has a filthy grin quirking up one side of my lips.
Alis shoots me a warning glare, but then the bastard brushes his palm over my dick as he pulls his hand away. I grip his wrist, not letting him escape, and bring it back to my dick so he can feel the steel straining in my pants. He rubs at it, his dark eyes lingering at my mouth.
My phone buzzes, and I let go of his hand to retrieve it. Seeing Mom’s name on the screen never ceases to bring a smile to my face.
Mom: We have an offer on the house!
A pang of sadness punches me in the gut.
Me: Great news.
Mom: The house is too big for us, Canny. Too many memories. It’ll be better this way. Fresh start for everyone.
Mom’s fresh start began when she left rehab. She moved in with Uncle Adam in Orlando. Since he works from home running an online marketing company, he’s able to keep Mom company. Plus, he was about to hire someone to help him with bookkeeping and filing, so Mom’s going to do it instead. It’ll be better for her in the long run, but it still makes my chest ache at the thought of our house selling.
Me: Yeah, I know. Tell Uncle Adam I said hey.
I send her a selfie, and she sends one back with Uncle Adam giving her bunny ears. Seeing her smile and like her old self brings relief rushing into me.
Mom: You know I love you, baby, right?
Me: I know. Love you too, Mom.
A couple of weeks ago, after one of my track meets, Mom and I went to lunch to talk. I’d been secretly pleased she attended the event but was still upset with her. She apologized for everything again, but that time it actually hit home. I had my mom back, and things were going to be okay. She and Dad decided that until she was in a better place, Carrie and I would continue to live with him for the time being. Though I hate what he did to her, he’s been supportive and helpful when it comes to Mom. I know he still loves her in his own way, which I’m thankful for. Plus, it’s hard to remain bitter when I gained something out of their break-up.